


Stuck in the Clouds (An excerpt from a longer series, hopefully)

by Crimzonian



Series: Electric Circus [1]
Category: Xenoblade Chronicles 2 (Video Game)
Genre: Danger, Gen, Swimming, threat of drowning
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-24
Updated: 2019-02-24
Packaged: 2019-11-04 21:01:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17905556
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crimzonian/pseuds/Crimzonian
Summary: Zeke and Pandoria find themselves swimming hopelessly in the cloud sea with no titans or ships in sight to save them. Will they make it out alive?





	Stuck in the Clouds (An excerpt from a longer series, hopefully)

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place years before the game's story. 
> 
> It also takes place before...(Chapter 7 spoiler)...Half of Pandoria's core crystal was given to Zeke, linking their lives together. 
> 
> This piece would be a part around the middle of a series following the adventures of Zeke and Pandoria in the ten years prior to the events of Xenoblade 2. Hopefully I get the courage to write out this whole thing.

Swimming in the cloud sea wasn't exactly like swimming in water. It was _wet_ like water, and one could propel themself forward with similar motions as in a pond. One could float if they relax, but other than that it was a completely different beast.

The cloud sea was dense. Where water seemed keen on giving its visitors a gentle hug, the clouds instead were more interested in tightly squeezing anyone who dared dip into them. There were waves of sorts, though they were rounded, low, slow, yet powerful. Visibility just below the surface was difficult, as if one was peering into an impossibly dense fog. At the surface a wispy mist could often be found, making the horizon difficult to see for anyone bobbing about.

It was morning when Zeke and Pandoria fell from Gormott's left rear hock. The titan walked fairly quickly, leaving them to struggle in its milky wake. Zeke dropped his sword into the sea so it wouldn't weigh him down. Pandoria would simply generate a new sword later on. They swam after the titan in vain for what seemed like hours, until it was no longer in sight.

Struggling on for more hours still, the pair fought the dull ache of over-exertion until the sun threatened to collapse into the cloudy mist with them. There was still no ship, no titan, no floating object in sight for them to take refuge on. They were exhausted; panic began to set in.

"Prince, we're going to drown at this rate," gasped Pandoria. "It's getting dark."

"Like hell we are," Zeke sputtered. "This isn't even a cool way to die! We'll find something soon if we keep moving." Turters nestled comfortably in Zeke's hair, blissfully unaware of the danger his caretakers were in.

Zeke could rest every so often by relaxing and floating for a moment, but Pandoria had no such luxury. The metal in her body weighed her down and made idle floating impossible. She had to swim the entire time. Soon her tail began to tangle around her weary legs, further dampening her ability to move along. Zeke began to gain distance on her.

Minutes later, realizing he could no longer hear her struggling beside him, he looked back to locate her. Only cold mist, gleaming softly under the new moonlight, greeted his eye. A frightful chill ran down his spine. _Oh no._

"Pandy!" he cried out, and swam back in the direction he came. "Where are you?!" She gave no response, so he called again, and again. After a few moments, a small splashing sound brought Zeke's attention to the right and he could make out the faint glow of her shoulders. He hurried over to her, heaving several sighs of relief.

"Prince," she gasped weakly. "I can't...can't go on." She could barely keep her head high enough to breathe.

"Here, just hang onto me," Zeke insisted. "I'll get us there."

"Where is _there_ exactly?" She gasped frustratedly as she clutched at the hood of his coat. "I think we've been swimming in circles."

"Don't worry, I promise I'll find someplace dry. Just rest a bit."

Zeke soldiered onwards with his blade hanging onto him for what seemed like an eternity. Pandoria was only about half his weight, but trying to pull her along while he was already exhausted proved difficult. Eventually his head could barely stay above the surface, and Pandoria insisted on letting go of him and continuing on herself.

"I won't drag you down with me," she panted. "If I drown, so be it. You go on without me."

"Shut up, I'm not letting you drown and sit on the bottom of the cloud sea as a damn core crystal! Come on, Pandy, we can make it. We're the best, remember?"

"It's okay, you can come back with some salvagers and find my core again someday. I'll be happy to be your blade again. It's...fine," she struggled to stay afloat.

"B-but," Zeke stuttered, "You won't even remember me then! Come on, Pandy, keep swimming, you've got this."

"It's fine...It's fine...Just..." Her head went under.

"Pandy!" Zeke thrashed and tried his best to swim over to her, but he was too exhausted to grab her before she disappeared. Almost as soon as she went under, her head reappeared, then her shoulders. Her face bore a bemused expression.

"Prince, the clouds are shallow here."

Zeke let his feet fall beneath him, and they were met with a solid seabottom. He stood up to find that the clouds were only waist-deep to him. Now that he had his head above the bulk of the mist, several jellyfish-like titans could be seen glowing under the moonlight nearby. He put his hands on his hips and lowered his head silently.

"We might be idiots," Pandoria mused tiredly.

Zeke continued to blink at his belts a moment, then replied, "What's important is we _aren't_ drowning in three feet of clouds." The two exchanged a tired smile, then slowly waded over to the small titan closest to them. It took some effort to climb onto its sandy back, and when they did they both collapsed and immediately fell asleep


End file.
